Pile-spreader.



Patented Sept. 4, i900.

3 Shaota'$heot T; J. STEABNS.

FILE SPREADER.

' (Application filed Apr. 5, 1900.

(No Model.)

WAS

No. 657,368. Patented Sept. 4, I900.

I T. J.-STEARNS.

PILE SPREADER.

(A pplication filed-Apx. a, 1900. (No Model.) 3SheataSheet 2.

THE mums PETERS ca. Pnorouruo,. wAsmNdToN/m c T. J. STEARNS.

PI LE SPREADER. (Application filed Apr. 5, 1900.)

Patented Sept. 4, I900.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

WITH E5555:

m: NORRIS PETERS ca. PNoTo-umm WASHINGfON, o. c:

UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS J. STEARNS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PlLE-SPREADER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent l\ l'o. ,657, 68, dated September 4, 1900- Application filed April 5, 1900- T all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THoMAs J. STEARNS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pile-Spreaders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the manufacture of pile fabric; and its object is to provide a machine to spread or swell the pile of any out or uncut pile fabric. While adapted for use upon any pile fabric, it is especially useful in spreading or swelling the pile of plush or velvet carpets or rugs, and I will address this specification to a machine designed for that use.

When a velvet or plush carpet comes from i the loom, the out threads of the warp forming the nap or pile stand up in little tufts with spaces between. In order to give the carpet an even and velvet-like appearance and to increase the durability and beauty of the goods, it is desirable to spread or swell the pile and so close up the spaces between the tufts of the threads. Prior to the invention of my pile-spreader described in the United States patent granted to me dated May 8, 1900, and numbered 649,083 the pile has been spread, if at all, by the applicationof steam and to a small extent by brushing. The steam method has a deleterious eifect upon thecolors of a carpet and wholly or partially destroys the sizing in the back of the carpet. Brushing, if hard enough to semi Nil-11,591. (No model.)

operate upon the face of the fabric with a spreader consisting of a carrieror roller coving or pulling, and by repeated pricking of the pile spread the pile by wedging apart the threads in the pile-tufts. The tufts are thus broomed outinto interlacing contact with the threads of adjacent tufts and the cloth put into the desired condition. There is no combing or brushing to tear or pull out the pile, since at the point where the needles prick the face of the cloth the points of the needles and the face of the cloth are relatively at rest, or substantially so, the needle-carrier having onlya contact by pressure substantially normal with the cloth. I am aware of napping-machines and gigging-machines provided with cards which pull up the loose fibers by fine books or by combing action, and I do not claim such cards as new; but what I do claim is a mass of straight-pointed wedgingneedles in the combination hereinafter specified. The needles or teeth may be placed spread the pile to any extent, pulls out and tears the pile. Consequently a great amountof carpet is put upon the market with the pile unspread. To spread the pile vastly, in-

creases the beauty, the durability, and consequently the value, of the carpet. By the use of my invention, of which an embodiment will presently be described, the pile is evenly spread or swelled without injury to any portion of the fabric. Said Patent No. 6&9,083, dated May 8, 1900, describes a pilespreader adapted for use as an attachment for a loom. My present invention is of a separate and independent machine forspreading the pile after the pile fabric has been completely woven and removed from the loom.

I lay upon a table or work-supporting surface the fabric whose pile is to be spread and upon the carrier in any number-and with any degree of closeness to one another desired. p One embodiment of my invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in

TIO

Q, making' one continuous strip, and the fabric may be fed through the :machine any number of times desired. The apron O has a slow movement from the front to the rear (b'fhlli''Tfiachine and carries the fabric which has been operated upon away from the spiked roller M. When the ends of the fabric are joined together, as at Q, the apron 0 also carries the folds of the fabric along to be fed uponthe work-supporting surface A. When the ends of the fabric are not fastened topable of being angularly vibrated about the pivot. Said arms D 'D are provided at their ends with the slots E E for holding t'he axes b b of the rollers B B. When the said rollers" are in operativeposition upon the.fabric,their axes b bshouldmot rest in the bottomsof the slots; but their-whole weightshould'hea-r-lrpon the fabric. They are a llo wed t'reedom-ofplay u p and down in slots E E to equalize the pressure in case of any unevenness in the supto remove them from theirioperativesposition, The machine may .be construeted with-\one-or bet'he number of times which the needles 0 is hungbetween the rollersBmndB,

V needle-rollers 10 C. The :roller 1M isrevolved porting-surface of the fabric. Said slots E -E may also have shoulders, es-G, or a'a-ny usual lock device to ,-p revent the needle-rollers being thrown out of the slots when the arms J) Dare vibrated at speed. TbOihOOkS H Hvare provided to holdithe rollers when :it-isdesired sure of the :ne'edlesnpen the ifabrie.

The operating mechanism of :the machine is as follows: Oneither .sideof thelmachi ne is a driving wheel 1, connected with they-ibrating arm D by the connecting-rod J, 'imparting a swinging or vibrating motion to; said Tarm D. Said wheels laiieadriven bythe shaft K, upon which-is the belt :pulley :L,-:to which the power is applied. Atthe'if ronttef the work-supporting surface A isya spiked roller M for slowly drawing or fieeding the carpet'or other pile fabric P over "said sapporting suzrface A :and between it and the on its axis by the train of gears N, N, NQ N and N4. It is obvious that :bychanging it-h-e gear the speed of atheroller M may be varied, and consequently'the speed of the feed-6f thic fabric. The slower :the feed the greaterfiill will Eprick ithe pile tirfts and the mere feet-1y will-the pilebespread. 1 116 fabric *P passes rearwardl y zundcr. the spiked roller'M and is received .the traveling gapronror' broad beltO,wheretitsliesrin folds. The-apron roller :3 being-mounted on the samesha'fit 'withgear and receiving its :metiomthere- I from. T-hetw o ends of the fabric may 'bel fastened together by hooks orrivets, as at ,gethcnas at Q, the fabr-icventers the machine, as shown'in the dottedline P, an'dis received from the roller M and carried away by the apron O, as already described, and passes out at the rearof hthemachi-ne as shown in thedottedilii'ier.

Thefabric isf ed upon the Work-supporting surface A over the spiked :tensionroller S at the rearof :the machine. "To hold the fabric finm' lyin 4111866 and avoid ossi'bility 10f its c rin klingas the n eedleerollers movie fOlI ward roller-S is provided-with a vfrictionstrap or brake II, Fig. 4, sustaining-a weighted leverarm U, having an a'd;iustable-weigh-t V, by which any desired tension 'of the fabric :ma y be attained. The whole structure is supported "bythe framework =5, which rests upon 'thefloer.

The amou'ntof pressure of :themeedles may be varied by varying the material of which the rollers B B are made or by anyother suitable means @of increasing the direct rpres- T he amountof pressure required depends "upon the qualityof the fabric-and the Jengthiof the pile which is 130 be spread.

llhe ilBROhlIIOil'IIR) be adapted to any width of fabric.

- I do :not :intendto liemibm y inventionjtosthe curved or cylindrical work-supporting =surface *and needle-rollers -rreci-;procally moved by means of a vibrating arm, but to include ether :formsof construction embodying'my invention-as, for instance, a flat table with a reciprocally amo-ving needleroller held either My side'grridesbr by a eas-triage.

. What LGIai-rn, =and=desire to secure by :Letters Batent, iis=-- E1143, mile-spreading m aclrine, a mass of *wedgingsneedleg-a surface (opposed there-to andazdapted to support a ;pile fabric, and means :for reciprocally mowing said needles IIO *ltpen. send from the pile fabric in 3a di-recs atch manner that athe needles areirecipro- :cally :mowedtaand from saidopposedsunfaee in rs direction substantially normal 'to the planeaofsaidsurface. p ,3." h :a. wile-spreading machine, fa; mass :of wcdging needlessanda carrier therefor, a sin rface opposed to'said needles and adapted to.

ceases support a pile fabric, means for reciprocally moving said needles upon and from the pile fabric in a direction substantially normal to the plane of the fabric, and means for feeding the pile fabric between the needles and the opposed supporting-surface.

4. In a pile-spreading machine, one or more rollers clothed with radially-projecting wedging-needles, a surface opposed thereto and adapted to support a pile fabric, and means whereby said roller or rollers may be rolled upon said surface.

5. In a pile-spreading machine, one or more rollers clothed with radially-projecting wedging-needles, a surface opposed thereto and adapted to support a pile fabric, and means whereby said roller or rollers may be rolled upon said surface, and means for drawing the pile fabric between said roller or rollers and said opposed supporting-surface.

6. In a pile-spreading machine, a mass of wedging-needles, means for pressing the needles into the pile fabric in a direction substantially normal to the plane of the fabric in such a manner that the threads of the piletufts are wedged apart fromeach other and broomed out into interlacing contact with the threads of adjacent tufts, and a surface opposed to said needles and adapted to support the pile fabric.

7. In a pile-spreading machine, one or more rollers clothed with radially-projecting needles, a work-supporting surface consisting of a segment of a cylinder and means for rolling said roller or rollers circumferentially upon said surface.

8. In a pile-spreading machine, one or more rollers clothed with radially-projecting nee dles, a work-supporting surface consisting of a segment of a cylinder and means for rolling said roller or rollers circumferentially upon said surface, and means for drawing the fabric over said surface and between the surface and the roller or rollers.

9. In a pile-spreading machine, one or more rollers clothed with radially-projecting needles and supported by a pivoted arm, a cylindrical surface opposed to said roller or rollers, the axis of said cylindrical surface coinciding with the axis of said arm, and means for vibrating said arm angularly about the central pivot.

10. In a pile-spreading machine,one or more rollers clothed with radially-projecting needles and supported by a pivoted arm, a cylindrical surface opposed to said roller or rollers, the axis of said cylindrical surface coinciding with the axis of said arm, and means for vibrating said arm angularlyabout the central pivot, and means for drawing the fabric over said surface, and between it and the needle roller or rollers.

11. In a pile-spreading machine, a needleroller supported by a vibrating arm, a worksupporting surface opposed to said needleroller consisting of a segment of a cylinder whose axis coincides with the axis of said vibrating arm, means for vibrating said arm, a spiked roller adapted to draw a pile fabric over said surface and means for rotating said spiked roller.

12. In a pile-spreading machine, a needleroller supported by a vibrating arm, a worksupporting surface opposed to said needleroller consisting of a segment of a cylinder whose axis coincides with the axis of said vibrating arm, means for vibrating said arm, a spiked roller adapted to draw a pile fabric over said surface and means for rotating said spiked roller, and a traveling apron adapted to receive the fabric from and feed it toward said surface.

13. In a pile-spreading machine, a needleroller supported by a vibrating arm, a worksupporting surface opposed to said needleroller consisting of a segment of a cylinder whose axis coincides with the axis of said vibrating arm, means for vibrating said arm, a spiked roller adapted to draw a pile fabric over said surface and means for rotating said spiked roller and a tension-roller.

14. In a pile-spreading machine, a needleroller supported by a vibrating arm, a worksupporting surface opposed to said needleroller consisting of a segment of a cylinder whose axis coincides with the axis of said vibrating arm, means for vibrating said arm, a spiked roller adapted to draw a pile fabric over said surface and means for rotating said spiked roller, and a traveling apron adapted to receive the fabric from and feed it toward said surface, and a tension-roller. V

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 2d day of April, 1900.

THOMAS J. STEARNS.

Witnesses:

ROBERT OUSHMAN, E. F. GRoLL. 

